Commentary of the Gospell for August 19, 2024

Jesus totally changes this man’s approach in today’s Gospel. The man asked about one thing, and Jesus answered with something else. Today we’d say Jesus took him out of his comfort zone. But we must recognize that this is what Jesus usually does with us. And it’s what’s good for us most of the time.

I say this because the man approaches Jesus worried about his salvation. He has big blinders on and short-sighted vision. His “ego” comes first. The man wonders if he will be saved and what he has to do to be saved. At first, the rest of the world – including nature and people near and far – gives the impression that he doesn’t care about it in the slightest. The man is focused on himself and his salvation: “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

At first, Jesus leaves him where he is. If you want life, just keep the commandments. Nothing more is needed. But the man seeks, as we often do, security. He wants to be sure of being saved. He wants to have a kind of policy or certificate that guarantees he’s on the right track. So he keeps asking. He already keeps the commandments, but he wants that extra bit of security. Like someone who has health insurance but buys another more expensive one with better doctors, just to feel more secure.

That’s where Jesus answers him by taking him out of his boxes. He tells him to stop thinking about himself and his salvation, to look up to the horizon, to notice his brothers and sisters, to leave everything – everything that seemed to make him feel secure – and to follow him. Following Jesus means entering into total insecurity. It’s about walking without a fixed destination, extending a hand to those in need of all kinds. It’s about thinking of others and their needs before oneself. It means living in insecurity. It means accepting that everything can end badly, as it did, and that one can only trust blindly in the Father-Abba.